


sleeping in security

by ThatFilmGraduate



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Black-Lupin Family Feels, Domestic Themes, Established Relationship, Established Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Family Feels, Family Fluff, M/M, Raising Teddy Lupin, Remus Lupin is So Done, Sharing a Bed, Sirius Black is a Good Father, Snapshots, Teddy Lupin Was Born Through Surrogacy, Teddy Lupin is a Little Cutie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27541489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatFilmGraduate/pseuds/ThatFilmGraduate
Summary: Four times in which Teddy Lupin shared a bed with his parents, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin; set in July 1998, November 2004, December 2011 and July 2018.Extract: 'Teddy was a good child and usually loved sleeping in his own bed, but sometimes he needed his parents; like whenever he felt ill or needed some comfort after a nightmare. This was not the first time Teddy had slept in their bed and it would likely not be the last.'
Relationships: Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Teddy Lupin, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 127





	sleeping in security

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these HP characters or settings. Nor do I own any of the songs, singers or streaming conglomerates mentioned. All I claim is the story.
> 
> A/N: This is a Non-Magical / Modern-ish AU in which Remus Lupin and Sirius Black raise Teddy Lupin who was born through surrogacy. (All ages are the same, meaning that Remus and Sirius were in their late thirties when Teddy was born.)
> 
> Written: November 2020  
> Edited: November 2020

**July 1998**

"WAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The high-pitched sounds of crying woke Sirius Black from his slumber and he frowned, confused at the noise until he remembered that he was a father now and that the crying was likely coming from his four month old infant, Teddy Lupin. Sighing, he glanced at the digital alarm clock on his bedside table: 04:57(AM), it read. Summer was a weird time, he mused absently; the room was not as dark as he thought it might have been at such an early hour.

"Padfoot?" a voice mumbled from his left: his fiancé and Teddy's other parent, Remus Lupin.

"I'll handle it," he muttered, giving his partner's hand a weak squeeze before he threw the duvet back and sat up.

"Y'sure?" Remus asked, squinting at him in the dawning light.

"Yeah, you go back to sleep," Sirius replied as he stood up, because it was only fair. Remus had done the three o'clock feeding, after all. The least he, Sirius, could do was get up and see if he could calm their son now. "I've got this."

Remus hummed and closed his eyes, turning over and going back to sleep.

With that, Sirius stumbled out of his bedroom and into his son's room to find the little one kicking and wailing in his cot. The sounds stopped as soon as the young boy saw him and Sirius smiled, picking his son up and resting him against his chest.

"What's up, Puppy?" he asked the small child in his arms. "Trouble sleeping?"

Teddy did not answer – he couldn't, really, since he was a baby – and instead stared up at him with wide grey eyes, curious and alert.

Sirius hummed and handed him his dummy. He then began walking around the room, rocking the little bundle back and forth as he sang 'Crocodile Rock' under his breath. The song wasn't exactly a lullaby but Teddy seemed to be a fan of Elton John, so Sirius didn't mind singing if it meant that he could get him back to sleep.

A couple of verses and it wasn't long before the young boy's eyes closed.

Wanting to make sure his son was definitely asleep, Sirius sang until the end of the song before he lowered the young boy into the cot and quietly made his way to the door. He had just stepped over the threshold when he heard the sounds of stirring and then screaming again.

Groaning quietly, he walked back into the room and leaned on the edge of the cot, staring down at the little one who quietened once again as soon as he saw his father.

"It's going to be one of those nights, huh?" he muttered.

Again, Teddy said nothing; just stared up at him with innocent eyes.

Sirius sighed and scrubbed a tired hand over his face.

From where he was standing, he had two choices if he wanted to sleep again: he could either let his son scream until he tired himself out and fell asleep; or he could let his son sleep with him and Remus for the next few hours.

He knew what he should do, of course. Remus wanted to exercise the first option: Tough Love. Remus wanted to set boundaries early on, worried that their son would become too dependent on them if they gave in to his infantile demands; worried that Teddy would always want to sleep in their bed and wouldn't respect that their bedroom was theirs. Sirius understood it, but he didn't think it mattered much at the moment since Teddy was only four months old and didn't understand what boundaries were. Maybe in a year's time, when the infant was a toddler, but having him sleep in their bed now wouldn't do any harm, he didn't think.

Mind made up, he muttered, "Alright, then," and handed Teddy his dummy before he picked the boy up and walked back into his bedroom. He pulled the covers back with one hand and then lay his son down in the centre before he climbed in and covered them with the sheets. Barely a few minutes passed before Teddy was asleep.

"Sirius?"

Sirius glanced up from his son's peaceful face and found Remus staring at him, with an expression that clearly said: _I thought we agreed on the Tough Love stance, so what's this?_

"I know, Re," he whispered, looking down at the young boy again. "This is the last time, I swear."

Remus hummed and reached over, linking their fingers together under the covers. "Alright. G'night, then," he mumbled.

"Night, Moonpie," he replied, squeezing Remus's fingers. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Remus muttered before sleep took them all.

* * *

**November 2004**

"Da?"

Sirius frowned and pushed his face into his pillow, trying to push away the feeling of wakefulness that was attempting to take him because even he knew that it was much too early to get up. Not a second passed before he felt a small hand shake his shoulder and heard a familiar voice ask:

"Da?"

Sirius groaned and cracked an eye open to see the silhouette of his son staring at him, a small pout on his little face and his grey eyes bright in the dark.

"Teddy?" he asked, blinking and glancing at the digital alarm clock on his bedside table: 02:37(AM), it read. Brow furrowing in confusion, he turned back to his son and mumbled, "It's late. Wha's wrong, Pup?"

"I had a bad dream..."

"Yeah?"

Teddy nodded, the pout on his lips not abating.

Sirius hummed quietly and took a second to let his groggy mind think.

The facts were as follows: it was nearly three o'clock in the morning, his son was standing at his bedside, and he had to get up for work at six o'clock. He wondered if maybe he should get up and tuck his son back into his own bed or if he should just let the young boy sleep with him and Remus for that night. He quickly decided that it was much too cold outside of his bed and that he was much too tired to get up, so he shifted away from Remus's warmth, lifted the duvet, and let his son climb over him. He then turned onto his side and watched his son shift and shuffle until he was settled comfortably between himself and Remus.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Teddy shook his head and quietly answered, "Nope."

"Alright, then," Sirius nodded. "Try and get some sleep, okay?"

Teddy nodded and dutifully closed his eyes, taking Sirius's hand with his own little ones and pulling it over until it was resting on his chest like a security blanket. Soon enough, his breathing evened out to confirm that he had fallen asleep and Sirius watched his son in silence, his hand rising and falling with every breath, and he felt overwhelmed.

There had been a point, when he was young and insecure, where he wondered if he would ever have a family of his own or feel so complete. Then he met Remus Lupin at boarding school and he knew that it was a possibility. And then, years later, he and Remus had Teddy and it was no longer a possibility but a reality. Sometimes he wondered what good deed he had done in a previous life to be allowed such peace and happiness in his current one.

Teddy snuffled quietly, bringing Sirius's attention away from his thoughts and back to his reality. As he watched his son sleep, he felt a familiar thought wander into his mind and settle:

Teddy Lupin was perfect; a miniature version of his fathers.

Personality-wise, he took after Sirius: he was confident and wild; enthusiastic and sometimes moody. But he was kind, like Remus, always helping friends or animals. Looks-wise, he took after Remus: same nose and hair colour; same impish grin and intelligent mind. The only thing that was different, really, were his eyes. Teddy's biological mother was related to Sirius and, thanks to the Black genes, Teddy's eyes were like Sirius's: grey and full of emotion.

There was no doubt that he and Remus were the parents, and Sirius often wondered what he and Remus had done to be blessed with such a good child.

"Bad dream?"

Sirius started at the sudden voice and looked away from his son to find the hazel eyes of his partner staring at him. He nodded and answered, "Yeah, I couldn't be bothered to take him back to bed."

Remus hummed and muttered, "Yeah, much too cold."

Sirius grinned, "You know, I was thinking the exact same thing earlier."

Remus smiled sleepily and didn't say anything else about Teddy sleeping with them.

Teddy was a good child and usually loved sleeping in his own bed, but sometimes he needed his parents; like whenever he felt ill or needed some comfort after a nightmare. This was not the first time Teddy had slept in their bed and it would likely not be the last, and Remus understood that.

Silently, Remus reached over to rest his hand on top of Sirius's, providing extra security for their son who unconsciously gripped both of their hands.

"G'dnight," he mumbled, closing his eyes and giving Sirius's hand a squeeze.

"Night, Moons," Sirius replied, closing his own eyes and letting himself fall back into his dreams.

* * *

**December 2011**

"Dad? Da? You awake?"

Sirius grunted and blinked his eyes open to find his son standing at the bottom of their bed, his hair in absolute disarray and an excited grin on his face. Sirius frowned and glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table: 03:21(AM), it read. He turned back to his son but before he could say anything, he heard Remus ask:

"Ted, it's three o'clock in the morning. What are you doing up?"

"It's Christmas," Teddy answered simply.

Sirius laughed, still marvelling at the fact that his son still enjoyed Christmas despite being a young teenager and knowing that Santa Claus did not exist. Remus gave him a swift kick and Sirius yelped, "What?"

"Stop laughing, it's too early," Remus grumbled.

"It's not too early!" Teddy exclaimed, jumping onto their bed and narrowly avoiding breaking limbs. "It's never too early for presents and food!"

Remus groaned but Sirius just chuckled and said, "Give us another hour or so, yeah?"

Teddy groaned and flopped dramatically in the small space between Sirius and Remus, ignoring the grunts of pain from both of his parents. "Fine," he mumbled into their pillows before he turned over and added, "But I'm staying here."

Remus grunted – as good a response as he was going to give – and Sirius responded, "Fine. But you have to try and sleep."

"Alright..."

Within minutes, the sounds of snoring filled the bedroom and Sirius quickly fell back to sleep.

* * *

**July 2018**

"Da? You awake?"

Sirius frowned and cracked an eye open in question to find his son staring at him, his blue hair almost electric in the dawn light and a small frown on his handsome face.

Sirius glanced at the digital alarm clock on his bedside table: 05:32(AM), it read. It was much too early to be up but for Teddy to be up at such an hour was especially strange; mostly because his son didn't usually wake up before eleven o'clock but also because, on the rare occasion when he did wake up early, he sat downstairs and watched Netflix.

"Teddy, what are you doing up at this time?" he asked, blinking in confusion. "Bad dream?"

Teddy chuckled and replied, "Da, I'm twenty now. If I have bad dreams, I deal with them."

Sirius nodded and absently muttered, "Right, of course you do." Then he realised that his question hadn't been answered and his son was still kneeling at his bedside at half five in the morning. "Uh, so what's up, Pup?"

"Nothing," Teddy replied quickly. "Nothing, I was just... I was wondering if maybe I could sleep here for the next couple of hours?"

Sirius was still confused (mostly because Teddy was twenty years old and hadn't slept in their bed in literal years) but he didn't say anything and instead nodded in acquiesce. Teddy grinned and Sirius shifted further back into his husband's embrace in the bed, his back pressed firmly against Remus's chest and the arm over his waist unconsciously tightening protectively. He then lifted the bedcovers and Teddy climbed in, shifting and shuffling until he was comfortable.

Sirius got a strange sense of déjà vu but Teddy had climbed into their bed so many times before that he couldn't pinpoint a specific time it resembled. Mentally shrugging it off, he stared at his son, still a perfect mixture of him and his husband.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly.

"Talk about what?" Teddy responded, looking at him.

"About whatever it is that has you up at five o'clock in the morning and climbing into our bed?" Sirius responded patiently.

Teddy shrugged and turned his eyes back to the ceiling. "Not really," he muttered. "I'm just missing Freyja, is all."

Sirius hummed in acknowledgement because he remembered being young and stupidly in love. Now he was old and stupidly in love, but that was beside the point.

Now, just because he understood how his son felt, that didn't mean he knew what to say. He had never been in Teddy's situation before, after all – Teddy's situation being that his girlfriend of several months, Freyja Ingibjörg, who he met at university and instantly fell in love with, was staying in Iceland with her family until the new term started, and Teddy was very obviously missing her since they only had calls and social media to communicate via.

Sirius had never been in Teddy's position before because when he was young and hopelessly in love, he had always had Remus around. He and Remus had spent seven years living together at school and then when they had graduated, they had moved in together. He had never had to be without Remus, so he didn't know how Teddy was coping and he certainly didn't know what to say to make it better. In all honesty, he didn't think anything he said would really make a difference in the end because Freyja would still be in Iceland and that would be the case for the next month or so at least.

"Well, Teddy Bear," he began, deciding to let his mouth run free, "I've never had to manage without your dad before, so I don't know how you're feeling and I'm not one hundred percent sure of what to say, but I do know one thing: this is just a temporary measure. Summer will be over in a matter of weeks and then you'll go back to Uni and you can see her again, and your relationship will be stronger because you managed to survive separation."

Teddy hummed thoughtfully and muttered, "Yeah, I suppose."

"You'll be fine," he said, reaching up and running his fingers through his son's hair in what he hoped was a soothing way. "You could videocall her tonight and have dinner together?"

Teddy grinned, "Yeah, that's a good idea."

"Padfoot," Remus spoke for the first time, startling both Sirius and Teddy.

"Yes, my darling?" Sirius responded, his hand automatically moving back to the one around his waist, his fingers dancing idly across the exposed skin of Remus's forearm.

"You know he's too old for this, right?"

"Remus, he's our baby boy," Sirius replied indulgently. "He'll never be too old."

Remus snorted against his shoulder blade and muttered, "Yeah, you say that now, but just you wait. One day, he'll be forty years old and crawling into our bed. Then I'll be able to say that it's because you coddled him too much."

"Whoa, hold on. I'm sorry, but who was it that allowed him to sleep in our bed whenever he was ill?" Sirius retorted. "Even when it was just the sniffles?"

"Wait, that's an exaggeration," Remus replied indignantly. "I only let him sleep with us when he was so ill that he asked to."

Sirius snorted but before he could retort, Teddy spoke up:

"M'still here, you know," he muttered. "And, just FYI, by the time I'm forty, I'll be a billionaire with a wife and two gorgeous dogs, so I won't be crawling in here. I'll be using them as security blankets."

Remus chuckled and muttered, "Ahuh, sure."

"I will be!" Teddy persisted.

Remus just laughed whilst Teddy pouted.

Sirius grinned and said, "Right, it's twenty to six and I am fucking tired, so I'm going back to sleep. See you two in a few hours."

"See you in the morning, Da," Teddy muttered before he shifted and made himself more comfortable.

"Night, Teddy Bear," Sirius mumbled, "Night, Moony."

"G'night, Sirius, Ted," Remus replied, his arm wrapping further around Sirius's middle as he rested his head between Sirius's shoulder blades.

Barely a few minutes passed before the sounds of Teddy's and Remus's almost identical snores filled the room. Sirius closed his eyes and let sleep take him, absently thinking about how happy and secure he felt with his family by his side.


End file.
